The Diesel Cruiser: Chevy's Cruze 2012

                                             There was Skoda in the 10 to 20 lakh Diesel Sedan segment. Then, it was followed by an array of car makers with their own models to compete in this range. The diesel Lauras and Octavias suddenly had company from cars like the Diesel Corolla from Toyota, the Hyundai Elantra, the Volkswagen Jetta, and the earlier popular but now forgotten Optra Magnum. The Optra Magnum could no longer hold up against the competition - that was for sure. They had much more than what the Magnum could offer a buyer and beat it in every aspect. But suddenly, Chevrolet came along with the Cruze a year or two ago - and changed the segment considerably. Trust me, by considerably, I REALLY mean considerably. Earlier, no 15 lakh sedans, diesels in particular had 150 Bhp producing engines. But  then, the Cruze launched with it and sent the competitors back to their drawing boards ! And now, I'll be reviewing the 2012 Cruze which is a further improvement over the previous model.

The "+"ve's:

- A 2 liter diesel engine - which produces a WHOPPING 166 Bhp and 38 Kgm of torque. That's good.    
- Available with a 6 speed manual transmission as well as a 6 speed automatic unit.
- Funky styling. Much better styled and more eye catching than the Optra Magnum.

The "-"ve's:

- The outdated music system still has buttons whereas a few competitors come with touch screen music systems.
- You'd be better off being chauffeur driven in a Laura, or a Jetta.
- Interior quality could be a tad better.

The Interiors:

Face it. Though Chevy's done a good job with the dashboard, it's just not up to mark when compared withe the feel and build quality of something like a Jetta or a Laura. There seem to be loads of aluminium inserts coupled with too much of black in the interior. If Chevrolet had opted for a lighter color like Beige, then the interiors would look much more spacious. Lets hope to see a change in the interior color scheme in the next gen.

The steering looks sporty and differs from any other steering design recently seen in India - it has a black color tone along with aluminium inserts in order to enhance the "sporty" look.

Somehow, there's still not a nice enough dashboard design. Probably it's that the darker color shade makes the cabin look smaller. But still, I'd appreciate a lighter interior tone - like the Cocoa and Light neutral leather trim offered in the American Cruze.

The Cruze has quite a dated music system. The 6 - CD Changer's no longer present. But, the newer music system comes with bluetooth support. Further, the unit could have been a Touchscreen one just like the 7-inch touchscreen available in the American version of the Cruze.

That's the American Cruze dashboard. Notice navigation running on the 7 inch in dash unit. That's ideally what Chevy should be offering us in India too.

The seats are comfortable. They're well padded an offer good under thigh support. If you're considering to be chauffeured around in this, forget it. You'd be better off in a Laura or a Jetta. This is a pure driver's car. The Cruze is absolutely a "Diesel Rocket" !

The door trim is nice, keeping in sync with the black interiors. The door handles have a dash of chrome on them which helps in breaking the monotony of the dark colored trim on the doors.

The boot of the Chevrolet Cruze is nice and large. But, the rear seats lack 60:40 folding. This feature seems to have been removed from the 2012 Cruze.

Yup, the Cruze does come with an electric sunroof with Pinch Guard and a Protective Mesh. But that's available only on the LTZ variant. But still, it's a nice addition to an amazing product.

The Exteriors:

The Cruze comes with the Chevy Bowtie adorning a double Honeycomb design grille. This double grille design seems to be becoming into standard Chevy design language - we saw it on the Beat, on the Tavera, on the Cruze, and now on the refreshed Captiva too ! It's a really nice design element and adds to the mean, striking design of the Cruze.

The Cruze looks mean and quite amazing on the roads. There's no denying that. It's obvious that though it's in the same price segment as the Laura and the Jetta, it aims at a sporty look, something which looks young and agile. That's what Chevy's achieved with the Cruze. The addition of chrome inserts here and there also adds to the stunning looks of the Cruze.

 A look at the front of the Cruze.

The Tail lamps look "WOW". The dual rings in each tail lamp look amazing and add to the jaw dropping looks of the Cruze.

Under the Hood:

Under the Cruze's hood is what is an impressive beast. It's a 2.0 liter 4 cylinder engine and it produces a mind boggling 166 Bhp of power ! That's more than that produced by any of the competition ! Plus, the engine produces 38 kgm of torque ! That's amazing for a 2 liter engine in this segment ! Chevy's done an excellent job at tuning the Cruze's engine. Plus, Chevy claims that the engine gives 17.3 km/pl. In the real world, the figures will surely fall abit, maybe to 11 to 13, depending on your usage. But, for such a fine driving experience, it's worth it !

Final Verdict:

                           If you're looking for a luxury sedan for around 15 lakhs, you're better off looking at the Laura or the Jetta. But, if you're looking out for a really fun to drive,  sporty car, then you should either look at the Cruze, or the Laura vRS. Both offer nearly similar packages at similar price points, but the question is whether you prefer petrol or diesel. If you prefer petrol, go for the Laura vRS. But, if you prefer diesel, the Cruze is the perfect sporty sedan for you ! 

-Naayl Humza,

14 Year old Car Enthusiast.